SCIENCE BOX OVERVIEW
Kit #22
Name: “Sunlight Solutions”
Grade Level: 5-8
Content Strand: Physical Science
Content Standard and Description: Energy and Matter: Interactions and Forms – Students understand that changes in temperature and pressure can alter states of matter. Energy exists in many forms, and one form can change into another.
Content Standard and Description: Nuclear & Electromagnetic Energy – Students understand that nuclear energy and electromagnetic energy are produced from both natural and human-made sources in many forms.
Summary: By using a wide variety of tools such as microscopes and thermometers, students will learn all about the properties of sunlight.
Learning Cycle Lesson Plans: Here is the list of the lesson plans in this kit.
1. “White Light” – Students will explore the properties of light, particularly color.
2. “Refraction” – Students will explore the properties of light, particularly that when light passes through different mediums it is bent, or refracted.
3. “Angles of Refraction” - Students will explore the properties of light, particularly when light is reflected.
4. “Heat Absorption” - Students will explore the properties of light, particularly colors and the heat absorbed from light.
5. “Solar Cooker” – The synthesis of the concepts pf the properties of light.
What to Expect: When done using this kit, teachers can expect the following from their students: Fifth graders will know how to investigate and describe how energy can be used to bring about changes in matter (e.g. melting an ice cube). Sixth graders will know that plus be able to investigate and describe how energy exists in different forms (e.g. heat, light, chemical, electrical, and others). Also they will be able to describe light in terms of simple properties (e.g. color, and brightness). Seventh and eighth graders will know all of that plus be able to investigate and describe how all phase changes are accompanied by changes in energy. Also they will investigate and describe how energy may be transferred into or out of a system or object in many ways and readily changes forms. Finally, they will investigate and describe how light interacts with matter by moving through the matter, being absorbed by matter, or being scattered by the matter.
Evaluations: Here is what other teachers have said about this box.
1. “This kit was used as an information/introduction to the teachers at this new school so they could see the type of materials you have to offer.”